'I glanced at Velaithan and was again surprised by the animation in her face. She watched intently as the bird dived again and again till, finally, it was rewarded with a catch, a tiny fish that wriggled in its beak. It flew a tree near us and began to bash the fish against the branch it was resting on.
"Pied kingfisher" Velaithan announced.
Once the fish was properly concussed, the kingfisher kept tossing it up, catching it nearer the head each time. It maneuvered the fish till its head was pointing downwards. it then proceeded to swallow the fish, jerking its head up and down to ease the passage. I marveled at the cleverness of its techniques'
This is an extract taken from the novel "The road from Elephant Pass" by the writer Nihal De Silva. this novel was awarded the gratian prize and the state library Award for the best Sri Lanka Literary work in English 2003. Nihal De Silva began his career as a novelist late in life, but he rapidly established himself as a truly professional novelist. He delivered three novels in three years, a novel per year-The road from Elephant Pass in September 2003. The Far Spent Day in September 2004 and The Giniralla Conspiracy in mid-August 2005.
The novel 'The road from Elephant Pass' deals with the ethnic problems in Sri Lanka through the story. It is the story of a Sinhala Army captain Wasantha and a Tamil LTTE female cadre Kamala whom unforseen circumstance throw together in a long dangerous life saving trek through the Jungles from Jaffna to Colombo. It is a journey which brings about enlightenment and attitudes changes from ultra Sinhala and Ultra Tamil to warm human good understanding and affection.
This is an incident between two protagonists Wasantha and Kamala which takes place in Wilpattu Sanctuary. The narration is by Wasantha the Army Captain.A bird dived under the water again and again to catch a little fish under the water. Kamala was completely attracted to the bird at that moment. She softly stared at the behavioral pattern of that bird. Wasantha was looking at Kamala's face and was surprised by the emotions he observed in her face. "Lied Kingfisher" Suddenly nodded by Kamala as identifying the bird. Then both of them began to watch the bird which trying to swallow the fish and admired the techniques that followed by the bird to swallow the fish.
This part of the novel presents not only the common interest of Wasantha and Kamala to watch birds but also the sensitiveness of them as a terrorist and an army captain. Their interest to watch the birds has used in the novel to reveal that they also built up with human emotions. Kamala is introduced as a LTTE activitist from the begining of the novel. She is an introward character who only works and taking decisions but not showing her inner emotions. Her all odd characteristics captured by her interest to the nature, birds which shows her inner purity and innocence although she is an terrorist. Wasantha is also introduced as a hard Sinhala Army Captain who is already to destroy the terrorists without any softness in his heart. But in this case he is also shows his inner heart softness like Kamala.
The writer has used these protagonists to bring out the two contrasting ideologies related to war. Further it discusses how war damages human lives and their sensitiveness. The war converts human beings to savage animals. Kamala has a black mark in her childhood as her father was killed by Sinhalese in 1983 Black July. That incident inspired her to join LTTE because of the hatred towards Sinhalese in her heart. But the same time Nihal De Silva wants reader to understand that although she is a terrorist she is also a human being with good qualities,sometimes better than ordinary people may be. some bad things has happened in the past is the difference between her and other people.She represents the whole Tamil majority which are affected to the war.
The writer elucidates that their common interest to present their good side of their lives to reveal the reader that terrorists are not always terrorists. They also have some reasons to behave like that. Instead of their terrorism they have their own interest and sense like all ordinary people.
-Chrishel Warnakulasuriya-
"Pied kingfisher" Velaithan announced.
Once the fish was properly concussed, the kingfisher kept tossing it up, catching it nearer the head each time. It maneuvered the fish till its head was pointing downwards. it then proceeded to swallow the fish, jerking its head up and down to ease the passage. I marveled at the cleverness of its techniques'
This is an extract taken from the novel "The road from Elephant Pass" by the writer Nihal De Silva. this novel was awarded the gratian prize and the state library Award for the best Sri Lanka Literary work in English 2003. Nihal De Silva began his career as a novelist late in life, but he rapidly established himself as a truly professional novelist. He delivered three novels in three years, a novel per year-The road from Elephant Pass in September 2003. The Far Spent Day in September 2004 and The Giniralla Conspiracy in mid-August 2005.
The novel 'The road from Elephant Pass' deals with the ethnic problems in Sri Lanka through the story. It is the story of a Sinhala Army captain Wasantha and a Tamil LTTE female cadre Kamala whom unforseen circumstance throw together in a long dangerous life saving trek through the Jungles from Jaffna to Colombo. It is a journey which brings about enlightenment and attitudes changes from ultra Sinhala and Ultra Tamil to warm human good understanding and affection.
This is an incident between two protagonists Wasantha and Kamala which takes place in Wilpattu Sanctuary. The narration is by Wasantha the Army Captain.A bird dived under the water again and again to catch a little fish under the water. Kamala was completely attracted to the bird at that moment. She softly stared at the behavioral pattern of that bird. Wasantha was looking at Kamala's face and was surprised by the emotions he observed in her face. "Lied Kingfisher" Suddenly nodded by Kamala as identifying the bird. Then both of them began to watch the bird which trying to swallow the fish and admired the techniques that followed by the bird to swallow the fish.
This part of the novel presents not only the common interest of Wasantha and Kamala to watch birds but also the sensitiveness of them as a terrorist and an army captain. Their interest to watch the birds has used in the novel to reveal that they also built up with human emotions. Kamala is introduced as a LTTE activitist from the begining of the novel. She is an introward character who only works and taking decisions but not showing her inner emotions. Her all odd characteristics captured by her interest to the nature, birds which shows her inner purity and innocence although she is an terrorist. Wasantha is also introduced as a hard Sinhala Army Captain who is already to destroy the terrorists without any softness in his heart. But in this case he is also shows his inner heart softness like Kamala.
The writer has used these protagonists to bring out the two contrasting ideologies related to war. Further it discusses how war damages human lives and their sensitiveness. The war converts human beings to savage animals. Kamala has a black mark in her childhood as her father was killed by Sinhalese in 1983 Black July. That incident inspired her to join LTTE because of the hatred towards Sinhalese in her heart. But the same time Nihal De Silva wants reader to understand that although she is a terrorist she is also a human being with good qualities,sometimes better than ordinary people may be. some bad things has happened in the past is the difference between her and other people.She represents the whole Tamil majority which are affected to the war.
The writer elucidates that their common interest to present their good side of their lives to reveal the reader that terrorists are not always terrorists. They also have some reasons to behave like that. Instead of their terrorism they have their own interest and sense like all ordinary people.
-Chrishel Warnakulasuriya-
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